As the world marks World Environment Day today, residents of Mwakirunge in Mombasa County are calling for urgent action to address what they describe as a worsening environmental and public health crisis linked to the Mwakirunge dumpsite.
The residents say years of unchecked waste disposal have exposed thousands of families to hazardous living conditions, with concerns ranging from air and water pollution to frequent disease outbreaks and poor infrastructure.
A visit to the 50-acre open dumpsite set up way back in 2009 established overflowing waste with several ‘scavenger families’ rummaging through the garbage brought there by public and private trucks, with smoke bellowing in the air despite recent heavy rains.
Mwakirunge resident and land activist Mr Nagib Shamsan said heavy rains have left roads impassable, cutting off access to homes and essential services from the dumpsite area.
He noted that the site, which was initially intended for land refilling, has transformed into an uncontrolled dumping ground where hazardous and non-hazardous waste are mixed without proper management, exposing residents to danger.
“The dumpsite has remained open, and small children walk into it to scavenge for various items, including dumped food. The smoke and scavenger birds interfere with flights. The uncontrolled management of the dumpsite has become a health hazard. We expected the waste to be recycled, but this has not happened,” he said.
He noted that with a fast-growing population estimated at over 200,000 in the area, the site has put many lives at risk as the trash overflows up to the road.
According to residents, children are increasingly abandoning school to scavenge through waste in search of food and other items to make an income, while local health facilities struggle to provide treatment for illnesses believed to be linked to the dumpsite.
Another resident, Ms Constance Chivatsi, said the community continued to endure foul smells, fly infestations and toxic smoke from burning waste, which they feared had contributed to rising cases of respiratory illnesses, tuberculosis and cancer.
She noted that residents, particularly children, frequently have diarrhoea and cholera, while those who consume food from the dumpsite experience stomachaches.
“We want a perimeter wall to be constructed around the dumpsite to restrict people from it, particularly children, or it should be relocated to another place. The dumpsite causes danger to the residents,” she said.
Ms Saum Ramadhan, a resident and Mwakirunge dumpsite committee secretary, said her team has not been facilitated by the county government since it was formed in 2022 to assist in the management of the dumping ground.
The committee was formed by Mombasa deputy governor, Mr Francis Thoya, to assist the county government in the running of the dumpsite and minimise health risks associated with the dumping of waste there.
“We have not been taken to any induction or facilitated to perform our work, and there has been no improvement in the management of the dumpsite where some children eat food from it. We were to be taken to Dandora and Thika dumpsites for benchmarking, but this has not happened,” she lamented.
Amkeni Community Organisation (ACO) executive director Ms Christine Khabuya described Mwakirunge as one of Mombasa's most marginalised electoral wards, citing a lack of adequate healthcare facilities, security services, and environmental protection measures.
“We are appealing to the government to provide a secure environment for the residents of Mwakirunge. People passing near the dumpsite, particularly women and girls, are being harassed by those operating at the dumpsite, and the situation has been worrying to us,” she said.
Center for Litigation on Environment and Governance (CLEG) executive director Mr Ainea Ragen said the dumpsite required proper management because some children have abandoned school to work there, and there are 16 graves.
Ragen, who is also a lawyer, claimed that the dumpsite is operating without the required approval from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
He warned that its proximity to Moi International Airport poses a potential aviation risk due to the smoke and the large numbers of birds attracted by the waste.
“The dumpsite did not get approval because it is within a 13-kilometre radius from the airport, and it is on the flight path. Under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA), it cannot be approved to operate within this radius," he argued.
According to Ragen, the county government had budgeted to acquire a bulldozer at Sh30 million in the 2018/2019 budget cycle to permanently operate at the dumpsite, but this did not happen.
In the 2020/2021 budget, Sh100 million was to be used to fence the dumpsite and Sh200 million to ensure proper management of the waste.
The environmental concerns extend beyond Mwakirunge. Residents of Mtopanga and surrounding areas have complained of persistent sewage overflows that have rendered roads impassable and exposed families to contaminated water.
Ms Edna Nyaminde and Mr Mohamed Abdalla said they have been grappling with the ever-flowing sewerage and called for urgent action by authorities.
“We want this problem to be addressed once and for all. Some children play in the water mixed with sewage, and we fear for our health here,” said the resident of Kwa Sonko Road.
